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Spicewood Ramblings

hummingbird season is in full swing for central Texas and much of the US except area with significant elevation, etc. We have at least 4-6 using the hummingbird feeders at this time, more coming.

March 16th, 2012

The first hummingbird arrived in my yard and after visiting the sage went right to the hummingbird feeder.

March 6th, 2012

Well the ramblings have been on the back burner with shipping feeders on time being the higher priority...:) Anyways we are waiting for the first hummers to arrive and they will be here any day. The Ruby-throated have arrive on the gulf coast a few days ago and the Black-chinned will be coming with them probably within the next week. Can't wait!

October 9, 2010

Have your hummingbirds all flown south? When my Ruby-throated and Black-chinned leave i convert my HummerMagnet to a seed feeder because it still looks like a hummingbird feeder. I have had the elusive Rufous Hummingbird show up in the middle of December. I then quickly hang a nectar feeder and have had them stick around for weeks.

August 9, 2010

Well there certainly wasn't much time for ramblings this summer!

Wow, it seems like they just got here and for most of us they will be around for a while yet but for the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds that nested in Canada will be making their way south to stage near the Gulf of Mexico before flying over 500 miles of open water! So keep your hummingbird feeders full of fresh nectar to help them with this incredible southward journey.

March 14, 2010

The trees are all budding out, the Bluebonnets are blooming, and Lake Travis is full of boaters chasing White Bass so this can only mean one thing...The hummingbirds have arrived! Yes, on Sunday our first hummingbird arrived and seemed very pleased to have the HummerMagnet all to himself, at least until the others arrive over the next few days. Hummingbirds are now working their way north and the hummingbird feeders play an important role providing supplemental food while spring unfolds in North America. So get your hummingbird feeders cleaned and hung as soon as your trees begin to bud and you will be prepared when the Flying Jewels arrive.

March 12, 2010

The Ruby-throated have moved 200-300 miles north from the Gulf into the central portions of the Gulf States. I have my feeders hanging now in anticipation of their arrival any day now and will be sure to let you know when the first ones arrive at my feeders.

March 3, 2010

Wow, is it springtime already? Well it is in the South and the Ruby-throated started to arrive on the Gulf Coast a couple of days ago and have been sighted from Texas to Florida. So get your brushes out and clean those feeders with plain hot water making them ready for the season that is upon us. Here in Texas it has been a cold wet winter which is good for the lakes and ending our drought but it sure makes one wish for hot sunny days filled with hummingbird chittter. We look forward to hearing from all of you again and keep sending us those great hummer photos!

September 20th, 2009

After a summer that came within 1 day of setting a record for the number of days over 100 degrees we finally have a break and it appears that we have resumed normal temperatures and even received some much needed rain. The three days of rain and dramatically cooler temperatures provided a reason for many of our hummers to keep moving south and we are not seeing the high numbers each day any longer. There are lots still coming through, quite a few Ruby-throated and Black-chinned and the occasional Rufous. As we move through fall we will continue to see fewer hummers and will convert most of our feeder to seed by adding the seed tray. However, there will always be a few Rufous in the area even in the winter so do what I do and keep at least one nectar feeder up all winter if your winters are mild.

Enjoy the Day!

August 26th, 2009

The Ruby-throated and Black-chinned have been pouring into central Texas and I have reports from around the country that the southerly migration is in full swing. Now more than ever, keep the feeders clean and full to aid the Flying Jewels with their difficult migration from Canada and the US to Mexico and Central America. We have received some great photos lately and will post them the first chance that we get. But for now we are off to ship some more HummerMagnets!

August 15, 2009

Well the unrelenting heat and drought continues over central Texas but the hummingbirds don't seem to mind too much as there is no shortage of bugs to eat and lots of HummerMagnets hanging around the house and shop to provide them energy. After a long time away we have a Ruby-throated visiting again, quickly staking claim to a feeder that used to be dominated by a Black-chinned male. Hard to say why we didn't see them after the spring but I suspect it is due to migratory reasons and very likely some birds are already moving in a southerly direction since it is mid-August. The feedback on the new HummerMagnet II Hummingbird Feeder has been overwhelmingly positive with most folks indicating that it is their favorite feeder and replacing most of their other feeders. That is great news and as always we really appreciate your feedback.

Enjoy the Day!

July 23, 2009

Well the Original HummerMagnet has been a great success based on all of the wonderful feedback and photos. But as with any good product there is always room for improvement so today we are introducing the HummerMagnet II Hummingbird Feeder. We kept all of the feaures that you said you liked and then significantly increased the size of the built-in ant moat which should eliminate the need for those separate, unattractive ant moats, and greatly improved the latching mechanism for the 2-piece base, eliminating the possibility of it accidentally becoming unlocked while still allowing the easiest cleaning of any feeder available.

We have also added an optional seed tray which allows for the feeder to continue to be used long after the hummingbirds have flown south. This allows you to use your feederall year long.

Features that we didn’t change:

*Bird safe, conical shaped, bee-proof feeding ports.

*Built-in sugar measure to make filling the feeder so much simpler.

*Water proof, UV protected label containing photo created by Russ Thompson and Flavio Cruvinel Brandao. (this label will take years and years of sunshine and still look nice)

*The two-piece base comes apart for easy cleaning .

While they last we are offering our customers discounted pricing on the remaining inventory of the Original HummerMagnets and as always if your order exceeds $99 you get free shipping so pick up a couple of extras for your friends.

Thank you for your business and for keeping the Flying Jewels well fed!

Best Regards,

Steve

July 10th, 2009

Well it has taken all summer but I have finally photographed our male Painted Bunting. I got a couple of good photos and have posted them in thePhoto Gallery. Enjoy!

July 6th, 2009

Yes, it was a mix of sad and happy all at once when the baby Black-chinned Hummingbirds earned their wings and flew from the nest a few days ago. Appropriately enough, Independence Day week-end was their last time in the nest with one flying away on the 3rd and the other on the 5th. I have it documented with daily photographs which are posted thePhoto Gallery of the website but as good as they are, they really do not do justice to this little miracle of nature.

I have however discovered a DVD which is just fantastic, it was created by two documentary filmmakers who happened to have a Black-chinned Hummingbird make a nest on their clothesline where they could film the entire life-cycle of two babies. You canview the previewsof the 45 minute DVD on the website.

These would make very unique gifts for that hard to buy for person and if you add one to your next order there is no additional shipping charge for the DVD due to their light weight.

Be sure to let us know what you think about the DVD, it is getting fantastic reviews.

July 1st, 2009

The baby Black-chinned grow every day and it is a wonder that they will fit in the nest for the next week or so until they fly off. Have been trying to get a shot of mom bringing in dinner but that has proved difficult so far but i bet I get it eventually. We will soon be offering the fantastic DVD from Don Caroll called First Flight which chronicals the life of two Black-chinned chicks until they leave the nest. Please let us know if you want to pre-order and we will put you first on the list in case we run short on the initial supply.

June 26th, 2009

Got our first photos of the baby Black-chinned hummingbirds in the nest just today and have posted them in the Photo Gallery. I will try to get updated photos each day until they fly away. We have also started to have woodpeckers visit our feeders for the first time and I suspect that it has to do with the severe drought that we have been experiencing. The hummingbirds are not quite sure what to think about these big guys on their feeders. The local Painted Buntings have also started to visit our HummerMagnets with the seed trays installed and they have to be one of the most beautiful birds found in North America. If you are not sure what they look like be sure to Google them as the males are really stunning.

June 18th, 2009

Wow, we have been so busy making and shipping hummingbird feeders all over the world. New Zealand for Bellbirds and Tui, Brazil and Canada for hummingbirds, and even had some folks inquire from Germany to feed their bats! Need to ship a few to Alaska and I think we have all the states covered but I heard the two folks living there already bought their HummerMagnets last year....

We finally found a nest on our property and I will try to take some photos and post them. Unfortunately it is in a difficult spot. We have recently posted to the Photo Gallery some great photos from Ohio and California that I think you will really enjoy.

Finally we found a good price on some funnels to make it so much easier to add sugar or nectar to your hummingbird feeders, you may want to add one to your next order.

That's all for now, be sure to let us know if there is anything that we can do better.

April 29th, 2009

We are now seeing 3 Ruby-throated males at a time on our feeders which is very interesting because in years past we have only seen one. We reside on the western edge of their territory so maybe we are building up larger local population by building up our hummingbird gardens. The Black-chinned on the other hand are everywhere! They are pretty good about sharing the feeders (for the most part). The females really are using the cotton furniture stuffing that we put out for nesting material and that is very interesting to watch them pluck off small pieces for their nest.

We also have a beautiful male Painted Bunting at our seed feeder every day, quite a site to see that colorful bird!

Got to go fill some feeders...:)

April 7th, 2009

If your hummingbirds have not arrived yet they will soon. The Ruby-throated have pushed their way into the northern regions of the eastern U.S. and the Black-chinned have done the same in the western U.S.
Over the past few days each evening we have had 4 or 5 Black-chinned sharing each of our HummerMagnets which is quite entertaining to watch, as there are hummingbirds everywhere.

March 25th, 2009

Wow, they are really coming in now and we have multiple hummers sharing feeders. You can see this on our Gray Fox/hummer cam. Early morning and evenings have the most aerial antics.
We also saw our first 2009 male Ruby-throated just today.
On Sunday we saw an Oriole for the very first time ever, they are clearly very rare in central Texas. What an amazingly beautiful bird!
Got to run, dinner is waiting!

March 19th, 2009

On March 16th we spotted our first Black-Chinned Hummingbird and today we had two at the same HummerMagnet so they are starting to stream northward. Our friends in Lago Vista and Dripping Springs already had visitors to their HummerMagnets last week so we were definitely feeling left out. As a result we have replaced all of our seed tray bases with the nectar feeder bases and we are ready for the first wave of northbound visitors this week. Soon we will have dozens jousting for a spot to feed.

Lately on the Gray Fox Cam we had two or three foxes, the very rare Ringtailed Cat who is become something of a regular attraction, and one very ugly Possum. WOW, only a

mother could love one of those babys, not pretty at all.

The night time visitors are coming around about 30 minutes after dark and then they will come and go most of the night.

The warm weather this week should bring a bunch of hummers to the Hummer Cam during the day so keep checking it out.

March 16th, 2009

Finally spotted our first Black-Chinned Hummingbird this afternoon. Friends in Lago Vista and Dripping Springs already had visitors to their HummerMagnets last week so we were definitely feeling left out. As a result we have replaced all of our seed tray bases with the nectar feeder bases and we are ready for the first wave of northbound visitors this week.

Tonight on the Gray Fox Cam we had three foxes, the very rare Ringtailed Cat who is become something of a regular attraction, and one very ugly Possum. WOW, only a mother could love one of those babys, not pretty at all.

The night time visitors are coming around about 30 minutes after dark and then they will come and go most of the night.

The warm weather this week should bring a bunch of hummers to the Hummer Cam during the day so keep checking it out.